Carton Of Milk
Carton Brewing Company

 

Finally properly reviewing this one…

Pours a darn dark brown, light only penetrates the edges. Beautiful light brown thick and creamy nitro head. Substantial lacing.

Earthy, char, mild tobacco smoke and dark chocolate.

Taste has all the same going on but the roasty char notes are more prominent. It combines with the earthy hop bitterness and lingers pleasantly in the aftertaste.

Light body, a coating of roast coats the tongue and this beer finishes with a really nice bitter bite.

I’ve always thought of this beer as boats darker alter ego. The same incredible balance and drinkability with roast replacing bitter citrus. A great beer.

Hadn't had a Carton beer in a while, as I thought that they "lost their way" according to my last review. I only said that because I wasn't seeing it traded at Other Half like I did when I first started going there, but part of it was that I wasn't finding as many of their beers on the shelf here as I did in years past, let alone ones that I hadn't tried before. Thankfully, I found a single can of this at the Bottle King in Livingston and though that I'd give it a go!

This was enjoyable, for sure, although it felt as much a Porter as it did a Sweet/Milk Stout. Naturally, the hue to this was nearly black with a bit of garnet seeping in around the edges. a massive, full head of khaki foam topped this off as it was quite a contrast to the liquid itself. That took a while to settle, even with the big bubbles that floated to the top, as the lacing left behind was mostly in the form of a thick ring near the middle of my pint glass. Not the strongest of aromas here but what was discernible was the dark and roasted malt, black currant, dark bread, charcoal, and a hint of lactose as the taste was quite dry, subtly sweet, and plenty dark as the slickness and lively carbonation were enough to ensure a pleasant experience!

An underlying sense of coffee bean, molasses, and sarsaparilla emerged as this warmed up with the near-unimaginable amount of alcohol never being a factor since I couldn't taste or feel it at any point during my time with this. Only a hint of cloying lactose in the aftertaste was a reminder that this had lactose in it, as this was one of the most complex session beers that I've had in quite some time - if not ever! Canned on 12/16 with "JOURNEY BEGAN" written above it and "START @46 F" written below it, this was enjoyable and a fun take on the style but hard to categorize without looking it up first. Give this a go as it could easily be Breakfast Stout or something to have dessert with, and hope that it comes with a widget the next time around. This deserves a proper pour for a most unusual, and surprisingly pleasing, take on the style.

 

 

A- Goblet takes up a tallboy which pours a black brew that has some deep brown around the very edges. The head has a thick and creamy texture from the nitro and a nutty tan hue. The one finger crown has good retention leaving a large ring at the edges, some small islands atop the beer and lacing impressive with wide thin sheets coating a lot of the glass.

S- For the most part malty. The aroma shows off roasted grain about as true as you could with charred barley notes coming on very strong suggesting bitter baking chocolate, espresso beans and char. That is joined by suggestions of medium sweetness and toasted nuttiness. Fairly straightforward but effective and clean with big strength.

T- Not too surprised as the taste finds less strength than the aroma and for the most part this is my biggest issue with nitro beers, they lose that oomph. Still plenty of nice malt flavors like strong bitter roast barley, chocolate malts, toasted nuts, medium sweetness and some caramel. Hints of dark fruits, coffee, fresh mashed barley, licorice and cocoa powder but compared to the aroma it feels a bit watered down/timid.

MF- The body just feels light and with the ABV that makes sense but with the nitro you might expect a creamier, silkier feeling. Light bitterness in the aftertaste.

Very inviting aroma leads to a flavor that still showcases nice roasted grains and a body that is probably the most underwhelming part of the brew as it comes off as a bit too light.

 

 

 

 

Muddy black in body with dark khaki head. Aroma of cocoa, earth, cinnamon. Tastes of cocoa, earth, milk, cinnamon sticks, coffee grounds. Medium bodied with medium carbonation.

Medium light carbonation ,medium body with a creamy feel
Aroma is roasted malt, sweet milk, char, some dark chocolate
Taste is very similar to aroma. Roasted malt and sweet condensed milk. The lactose really shows up in this milk stout. Very low bitterness and heavy on the roasted malts

 

 

 

 

 

Pouring from a 16 oz. can into a Guinness pub style glass. (because brewery’s instructions say flat bottomed glass) Bombing this beer into the glass (another brewery instruction) provides wonderful sights of a quick rush of black liquid that melds into a dark brown while bubbles of nitrogen quickly form a delightful, thick, peanut butter fudge looking crown. The beer itself is a very deep brown; it looks entirely black in the glass until holding it to light reveals highlights of ruby and mahogany shades. It maintains a pinky width of crown throughout the entirety and leaves slight lacing.

The nose offers dark, roasty and sweet malts. Slightly burnt, bitter bakers chocolate takes the show away with the prominence but allows notes of dried, dark fruit to tangle through as well. It definitely doesn’t smell like anything was sacrificed to make this sessionable, which I love.

The taste brings in fresh, dry and not yet roasted coffee beans that show themselves sitting on top of that bitter baker chocolate presence. The dark, dried fruits like currants and burnt blackberries come in about halfway through and carry you the rest of the way through the tunnel, while the bitterness is leading the way with a flashlight.

The mouthfeel is somewhat on the thinner side (which I always seem to think about nitrogen beers) but offers a nice creaminess. While the bitterness isn’t overpowering, it is the one aspect that stays in this beer from beginning to end.

Overall, this is a pretty good treat. I love the fact they made a stout that is this sessionable (4%) without having the feeling that anything was sacrificed.

DATE: March 8, 2019... OCCASION: watching Iron Man III with the family... GLASSWARE: Guinness pint... pours a dark black body, with a finger-thick, persistent brown head, which appears creamy and lactic... light, sweet and lactic, with the hint of coffee bean and thick cream... slight hints of vanilla and candied sugars... whoa, this is smooth and uncomplicated--worthy of consistent sipping and easy thinking... at 4%, mellow, surprisingly memorable, and a good warm-up for the upcoming St. Patrick's Day weekend... this is reasonably flavorful, with chocolate and sweet milk and light vanilla making a nitro shake of a cola-type quality... the brackish quality of this makes it a different kind of stout, one that instigates a more nuanced experience... the toasted malts are appreciable, and the hops provide a bit of uplift... this is one I have passed by often but am glad to finally have met.... as far as other sweet stouts go, somewhat nuanced, but not a destination brew...